Taken Cold
by obasan45
Summary: Sequel to WITHIN FIVE FEET. Ran Shuei X Li Koyu. Yaoi, m/m. Rated M. Now there is an epilogue - RYUKI'S GIFT.


**TITLE**_ : _**TAKEN ****COLD**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Saiunkoku Monogatari. It belongs to Sai Yukino.**

**Rating : M**

**Genre : Family/Humour**

**Summary : This is a SEQUEL to Within Five Feet. **

**Pairing : Li Koyu x Ran Shuei**

**Warning : Yaoi, m/m. **

**Notes : **

**When I completed WITHIN FIVE FEET, I had no intention to write a sequel to it. The response of a reader was what shocked me into writing this sequel. The reader had said that I was getting into S&M, and furthur suggested that this, S&M, was the culmination of my presenting all forms of "deviant" sex, eg voyeurism and (anticipated) group sex in TWIN IRISES. As this note is not for TWIN IRISES, I can't respond to the last two accusations here. **

**With this story, TAKEN COLD, I hope to show what was implied, but not dwelt upon in WITHIN FIVE FEET, that the purpose for Ryuki's suggestion to "take him cold" was the cathartic release of Koyu's suppressed anger. My intention was NEVER to present it as S&M, the purpose was never to titillate. Even in TAKEN COLD, the actual act itself is covered in just one short sentence.**

**Read this and be my judge! -_-**

**PLEASE REVIEW. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, I APPRECIATE YOUR NOT-LOGGED-IN COMMENTS (MY RESPONSE WILL BE ON THE REVIEW PAGE IF I CAN'T SEND YOU A PM).**

* * *

Shuei reached for the stack of papers placed neatly next to his bed. Koyu immediately dipped the brush into the ink slab, dabbed the brush against the edge of the ink slab to remove excess ink, then handed the brush to Shuei. Shuei wrote on the paper, then handed brush and paper to Koyu.

Koyu read aloud from the paper.  
"Extra, extra sweet please!"

Koyu laughed. He leaned forward , brushed his lips lightly against Shuei's swollen lip, and whispered,  
"Of course. You deserve it."

Shuei watched as Koyu left the room to make Shuei's favourite manju – lotus seed paste with melon seeds, extra, extra sweet. Shuei's eyes followed Koyu's loose-limbed walk, the roll of Koyu's slender hips, and he felt a tightening in the pit of his abdomen.

Shuei laughed at himself.  
_Truly_, _Koyu's_ _right_, _there's_ _something_ _wrong_ _with_ _me_!  
_Even_ _in_ _this_ _state_, _I_ _can't_ _get_ _my_ _mind_ _off_ _sex_!  
_Ah_ _well_, _it_ _will_ _be_ _one_ _hour_ _later_ _before_ _Koyu_ _comes_ _back_ _with_ _the_ _manju_,  
_I_ _might_ _as_ _well_ _lie_ _down_.

Shuei gingerly adjusted his pelvis. He gasped as a new wave of pain washed over him.

Lying on his side, his head supported by the firm pillow, Shuei contemplated the situation. On the work front, they were covered. Koyu had just returned from dropping in at the palace to personally ask Ryuki for two days' urgent leave.

Two days. That should take care of the swollen lip, even if not the tongue. Shuei frowned. He's got to do something about THAT the next time. The lip and tongue injury needn't have happened. Shuei had bitten down hard on his lower lip, and THEN his tongue, from the unexpected pain. Well, no, not unexpected. Shuei had braced himself for the very much expected pain. Even so, the intensity of the pain had taken him by surprise.

_His_ _Highness_ _Ryuki_. _He's_ _a_ _deep_ _one_. _How_ _did_ _he_ _come_ _to_ _be_ _so_ _wise_ _at_ _such_ _a_ _young_ _age_?

[**FLASHBACK**]

**"Koyu, you want to hurt Shuei, right?  
Take him cold, Koyu, without the benefit of oils and stretching.  
That would be a good way to work off your anger, safely."**

**Ryuki turned to the dumbfounded Shuei.  
"What do you think, Shuei?  
Does that sound like a good way to get absolution for your infidelity?"**

Shuei had not been blind to Koyu's suffering on account of his infidelity. Koyu had said that he had learnt to accept Shuei's occasional lapses at Koga House. Koyu's only condition was that Shuei take a bath first before touching him.

However, Koyu would involuntarily flinch at Shuei's first touch, every time, without fail. Through his hands, Shuei could feel Koyu's hurt and anger. Shuei could almost SEE Koyu struggling to absorb the pain within himself. At those times, Shuei hated himself. He wanted to take over Koyu's pain, but he didn't know how or what to do.

Ryuki's intuitive suggestion made during the trip to Sa Province had worked brilliantly last night.

Last night was Shuei's first lapse at Koga House since the return from the trip to Sa Province. It was also the first time Ryuki's "take him cold" suggestion was carried out.

Shuei, through a mist of tears and pain, had felt the cathartic release of Koyu's pent-up anger as Koyu tore into him, bucked against him, and let out a primal scream when he came. When it was over, they held each other tightly and wept. Their love-making after that was tender and pure, untainted by anger and guilt.

Smiling at that recollection, Shuei made a mental note to thank Ryuki when he went back to work in two days' time. Shuei was about to close his eyes for a snooze when he heard the commotion down the corridor.

The room door burst open. Ryuki walked in, ahead of Shuei's very flustered headservant. Shuei indicated to his headservant to leave.

Ryuki strode to the bed.  
"Take off your clothes, Shuei."

Shuei struggled to sit up, wrote on a piece of paper and held it out to Ryuki.  
"Like hell I would! I'm not stripping in front of someone who has always wanted to see me naked!"

Ryuki giggled. The tension left his body.  
"Just how badly did Koyu hurt you?"

In answer to Shuei's raised brows, Ryuki said,  
"How do I know? Well, after Koyu left my office, a report came in from my spy about your activity at Koga House last night. That, and the two-day urgent leave, was what tipped me off."

Ryuki sat down on a chair next to the bed.

"Since you can't speak, yes-no questions then?"  
Shuei nodded.

"Your headservant said that Koyu's making manju. Is Koyu alright?"  
Shuei nodded.

"Are YOU alright?"  
Shuei nodded.

"Regrets?"  
Shuei shook his head, smiling through his swollen lip.

"Do you need a physician?"  
Shuei shook his head vehemently.

Ryuki sighed.  
"I expected you would say that. That's why …"

The room door burst open again. Shoka came in, carrying a cloth-wrapped package.

"Ah, here he is. Lord Shoka knows quite a bit about medicine, he used to patch up my injuries. AND he's more discreet than any physician."

Shuei tried to reach for the paper and brush to register his protest, but found that Ryuki had already unobtrusively spirited them away.  
_Koyu_! _Help_!

Ryuki held Shuei down as Shoka administered to Shuei's injury.

The room door burst open, yet again. Reishin and Kijin walked in, to the sight of Shuei's splayed naked legs. Kijin stopped short. Reishin walked up to the bed, stood next to Shoka, and peered between Shuei's thighs.

"Ouch. Just how bad is it, Brother Shoka?"

Shuei, held face down on the bed by Ryuki, buried his face in the sheets in mortification.  
_This_ _can't_ _be_ _happening_! _Koyu_, _where_ _are_ _you_?

"Reishin! Secretary Ko! What are you doing here?"

"I brought this for Shuei, Brother Shoka. My spy tells me Shuei's lower lip and tongue were injured, probably self-inflicted."

Reishin signaled to Kijin, who produced from his sleeve a small package. Reishin took the package and bent low to speak to Shuei's half-covered face.  
"This is a tongue-guard. Make sure you wear it before … um …well, you know."

Reishin, seeing that Shuei's hands were pinned down by Ryuki, left the small package next to Shuei's head on the bed. He straightened up, looked around the room, and asked,  
"Where's Koyu? I want to speak to him."

Koyu entered the room carrying a tray of freshly steamed lotus seed paste manju.  
Which he promptly dropped.  
Kijin's quick reflexes saved the extra extra sweet manju, every one of them.

Explanations done all round, everyone settled down to have manju with tea. Ryuki, Shoka, Reishin and Kijin sat at the rosewood table and stools. Shuei looked at the four of them fondly. Except for Seiran who's away in Sa Province with Shurei, these are the same people that were in this same room on the wedding day.

Koyu sat on the bed with Shuei. He broke the manju into bite-size pieces and placed them in Shuei's mouth, beyond the swollen lip and tip of the tongue. When Koyu leaned close to feed Shuei, Shuei could feel the warmth of Koyu's body and breath.

Shuei felt drowsy and warm. He looked at Koyu's face, just inches from his own. Finally, it was gone, that bit of tension that was ever-present in Koyu. With a soft sigh, Shuei allowed himself to let go of the fear that he will wake up one day to find Koyu gone. For the first time, Shuei felt safe. And warm. So warm.

**The End**


End file.
